Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-04-26
AMONG THE TLINkITS.
LIEUT.. SChWATkA'S ACCOUNT OF
WoMEN'S RIGHTS IN ALASKA.

WOhEk'S RIGHTS IN ALASKA.
Tho social Customs "r Peculiar Tribe
.f AIa>Lsn Indisn--t Esgain Not
Away. iisr.ain->"r""ssi"n 4" the
Ihi-usin-hir.
Th. first characteristic | shall speak Of
l. their peculiar treatment of their women.
How the Indians on one side Of the ! lin
kits brutsliHc their women. making beasts
nf burden and SLAVES generally, IL too
well known to my readers to repeat " AT
length here The Eskimo, on the other
side. are far more con>Iderate and lusi III
their dealings with their women. hut The
T'inkit instead "i being sort Of Tic"u
between the two. ~ unC might suppose.
and a. they are in MANY other character
i~ric~. 70 far beyond IA" gentle naiurcd
Eskimo. and ~ a consequence. III the land
uf the Tlinkit, = curious kind Of
''vomen'S rights exists that i not eN-
cclled even among the nations calling
themselves civilized. In all their busi-
ness transactions. in all their family AT
fairs and la all matters whatsoeN"r where
il i possible for th. woman ui the house
hold - have word Ia LAY her decision IL
needed 10 make these affairs final!
Every time - man wants {" undertake
q business trau~lciion he iallc> his vito
along with him L. ratify ar Vet" the l"r-
gain. AMI should she n. ab--nt at the time
she may afrCrra ari put ia AN appearance
aud upset the whole affair. Funniest "f
all. the same equivalent transactions "I
the women art uoi subject Ia the same
supervising power of the men, VIII" have
nothing tn ~sy regarding the bargains "i
their wives - daughters, except ~ foot
the bill, ii any compensation j. promised
hV the ~ullaw- that the men are expected
{. M. ~ work, utensils they can make or
even money. where They get II from white
men and understand its value | have
known several instances where the men
have closed certain bargains. only Ia iind
them opened again when the absent wife
puI in an appearance As white men are
not VERY liable, Ia undo a bargain which
they think i Ia their advantage they sci
dom aCquir-cc ia the demands Of the
woman in cauceliug the contract. and
some uf the worst personal misundrr-
standings between the two races have oc-
CURED on this account. !. OF course. do
not know how the T'liukit man Jared after
he got hnmr from such a bargain; but |
think We can all imagine pretty well
Nothing was more eNasperatiug 10 me. at
times. upon my two expeditions int"
Ala>ka-iu 1882 and lSS5-N,henever
came aCruoS some man from whom |
wanted 10 buy some tritiing article or TO
employ for short lime. 10 have 10 start
out for the Indian village, probably n
mile nr two distant. 10 consult his wife
about it, or 10 bring her To me TO talk the
matter over
Then the succession 10 the cheftainship
of the tribe is most singular one, based
also on "womeu'S rights" or something
akin 10 il. Neither the eldest son of the
King and queen, or the chief and his wife,
nor, in fact. any Of the sons or daughters
succeed their father Ia the head of the
tribe when he dies. but some one OF the
nearest male relatives Of the queen il
made chief when her husband dies II j.
easy Ia see that this curious and rouuda
bout method Of handing down the scepter
may transfer the crown 10 anybody in the
tribe, and that there can he no such thing
as true royal succession or hereditary
descent of the chiefs power
When the parents, or either of them,
have died, all of the effects that they pos
sessed descend by inheritance on the
mothers side, none of the descendants Of
the father receiving anything ont Of the
estate. one would imagine that il would
lead 10 some curious muddleS, but some
how they manage 10 keep il straight
The same a. among all ssyages. the men
have often two or three wives. and in rare
cases even more; but the women not Ia he
outdune in the matrimonial line. have in a
f,.N. hr..a g ,x-ii I
of per>ounlly-two husbands. They are
nearly always rich women, who have had
great deal left them BY inheritance. or
who had made a large amount them.
selVe--for. a. have said. the women lC
nearly all the bu>iurs>-and who can
afford such expensive luNurieS. One
Think woman. = ~iTka woman, who went
10y the name "i MR. Tom among the white
people. ami who had ALREADY one husband.
bought au"thcr. q slave. Tor about 81 .NE
in 9n,-i. ami chattrl> and when | saw the
two together afterwHrd think Zee was the
best lpokiny one al the pair When a man
and " oman many they Try ami adopt n
hoy anI Il girl. Ii The man dies The boy
hccninr> the woman husband and if the
woman dies the girl hrCuues the wife of
the man-l.icui '-ci,watka in The indie
pendent
Ugiine>- DeGed.
II you have a >allow face,
And can many wrinkles trace-Dnn't cry:
Ii your cheeks have pimpleS sore.
And are with freckie> covered U'.r-nou't
cry.
II you have grown 81 very plain.
You can no longer lovers gain-Don't sigh:
For NnIv' n Tayaip within "A WapE